900 and 35

Apparently, this is my 900th post!  Who knew I had that kind of perseverance in me???

900 posts over 5 and a bit years - I might have a slowed down a bit with my posting schedule since those early days, and sometimes the topics wander all over the place, but for now this little corner of the internet is still ticking along.  Yay me!

Over the last 24 hours, I've been exchanging emails with my dad, and feel oddly cheered as a result.  I have also decided that, whatever happens and wherever I end up when I get home, this summer is the Summer Of Fun (TM, of course).  I then read this lovely article on J for Jen, and decided that maybe a list of 35 things to before I turn 35 this November might be fun.  Moi?  An original thought?  I think not.

35 fun things to do in 6 months is perfectly doable.  Hell, I might even do some of them before I come home from the ski season.  As with Jen's list, this isn't about earnest pursuits; more fun stuff to make sure I have an awesome year and finish it happier.

So what sort of things would I like to do for my extended Summer Of Fun?

1. Parapent - I keep seeing them floating over the valley, and I meant to do it last year and ran out of time.  This year is the year.  Done - and it was sodding amazing!!
2. Visit 3 new countries - this is a pretty big goal, so it will count for 3 points, I think - one trip is already sort of being planned for November, when I'd like to go to Vietnam for 3 weeks to explore.  Two more shouldn't be such a big ask, as there's bits of Europe I've yet to explore.
3. See point 2.  Spent the week surfing in Morocco and it was gorgeous.
4. See point 2 again!
5. Go to a festival - possibly Somersault.  I missed out on this last year, due to weekend commitments with my work, so this year I'm off to have festively fun.
6. A trip to the theatre - because I haven't been for ages.
7. Watch the outdoor cinema at Somerset House.  Because.
8. Surf at least 3 times.  I love surfing, even though I suck major balls at it, so I should make sure I use my board, wherever I end up living. First trip - the week in Morocco ... some improvement witnessed!
9. Visit all my friends with children.  I have friends with kids now - some I just won't have seen for 6 months whilst I've been away over the winter, some will have been born whilst I'm away, and some, to my eternal shame, I've not met yet despite them being born whilst I was away LAST winter.  The shame.  And the guilt.  I have a lot of catching up to do with friends and their mini-me's.  Seen two, which I think means there's 4 to go - and possible 2 more if people get them pushed out anytime soon!
10. Go to a gig - I like them, I don't go to enough of them.
11. BBQ.  Because it's summer and they're fun.  Nuff said. Been to at least 1 now.
12. Picnic.  See the reasons for 11!  Picnic'd at Wimbledon and Kew Gardens amongst others.
13. See live comedy - laughing is GOOD for you. 
14. Have an old fashioned day at the beach - sand castles, swimming, sand in your food, the fun-fair (if there is one) - in short, the works.
15. City break - I love a bit of culture and I haven't done this for aaaaaaaages.  Doesn't matter whether it's UK or Europe - it'd just be nice to see somewhere new.
16. Get my ears pierced again - I have 4 delicate little piercings already, but would like something more, although I haven't quite decided what yet.
17. Eat at a Michelin star restaurant.  Never done it, feel it's lacking in my life.
18. Visit a museum - maybe the V & A, as I've never been and have always wanted to.
19. Throw a dinner party, so I can be an adult and all sophist-amacated and all.
20. Get a massage or three.
21. Finally get the tattoo I've been umming and ahhing about for 4 years.  I've wanted one for ages
22. Spend the day at a castle or country house - more culture!
23. Go horse riding again, just because I love it and haven't been for aaaaages.
24. Read the first volume of Game of Thrones.  I love the tv show and feel like I should see how I get on with the books.
25. Take a photography lesson for my SLR (it's been 2 years since I got it ... whoops!)
26. Do a proper tasting menu at a restaurant. I'm very guilty often of thinking that I know exactly what I like food-wise, and I feel it would be nice to be challenged a bit on that.
27. Learn to ice a cake properly - my cakes are tasty but ... rustic looking
28. Clear out my wardrobe again - it might not literally be the most fun thing to do but it's soooo flipping cathartic! Brutally chucked 2 bin bags out, 3 to the charity shop and still shedding bits.
29. Finally get my finances in order.  Can't.  Bloody.  Wait.  Mostly there - I'm debt-free and now thinking about how to save for a mortgage and get all grown up!
30. Buy myself a nice, new proper grown-up, statement handbag.  I love accessories, and used to be a bag fiend.  Over time, I divested myself of a lot of knackered, unused or just under-appreciated bags, so that my current collection are all good leather and work-horses.  However, they're all started to look a bit tired in their own right, and I feel like a sassy, sorted, adult woman should have a good, stylish, workhorse bag.
31. Go to Disneyland.  I've never been and would love to go.  I could probably only manage a weekend in Disneyland Paris for now, but that would be a start!
32. Get dim sum in China Town. 
33. Find a dog I can spend some time with - canine company is the best
34. Rooftop cocktails on a summer's evening
35. Try and find a healthy balance to work, rest, good food and some exercise I enjoy. I'm finishing on a serious note, but I know I feel so much better when I'm balanced - healthy food and a bit of decadence, fun, rest and some activity to offset work and the serious bits of life.

I haven't really felt much one way or the other about my birthdays for the last couple of years.  Once I got past 30, I just had a busy couple of years and wasn't too worried about the numbers rather than the self-improvement I achieved.  35 for some reason feels a bit bigger though - I'm suddenly half way to 40, so this feels like a good time to re-affirm that there's more to life than being far too sensibly adult all the time.

At the moment, I feel like I'm leaning towards the idea of London for the summer, although I haven't yet spoken to my friend about that, and there's still quite a while before I'm due to head back to England, so let's not get ahead of ourselves and say I've made a concrete decision, as we all know how quixotic and changeable I am about decisions.

In the meantime, perhaps I'll order my guidebook for Vietnam and give myself something to get excited about!